Long story, and I am not at all sure this is the right forum for it. The community is amazing and I'm GOING to keep trying until I get this right.
I have had a hard time getting started in this sport. I made my first AFF jump in 2000, and it was a year before I could afford to jump again. In 2001 I did another AFF jump, which went fine. I paid for my next jump, but the Pilatus Porter crashed while I was gearing up. Good people got hurt. Not a great day.
Years passed.
I did a tandem in early 2016 and a lot of tunnel flight. It took me a lot of time to get back to AFF, but I made one jump. On my next try, I had to land with the aircraft because I just could not calm down enough to exit. The season ended and I came back in 2017.
I had a good training tandem and progressed, after several weather days, to AFF. I had a great freefall experience, but I was lost when my canopy opened. I could not find the airport.
It's embarrassing from here out. I did not make it back. I made a lot of mistakes and I got lucky enough to only break my fibula and some ligaments. Got some screws and a bit of steel in my leg. I don't run anymore.
I'm living on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic now, so I only get a couple of opportunities to try to skydive each year. I tried to make an AFF jump at a place in CA this May, but I froze in the airplane again. It's a long ride down, no matter how fast the pilot goes.
I'm going to be back in the US in January 2019, and I have a place to jump in mind. Florida, this time. I don't want to be a big bother to them before I even show up, so do any of you have pointers for clothing to wear for winter jumps? Tips for getting past nerves? Anything I should know?

First, it's a small skydiving center. You will be treated as an individual.
I was a student here, and they tailored everything to my needs. The course of instruction, from FJC on, was at my pace with no pressure to go faster.
The vibe is great! I was accepted at Skydive Danielson immediately. I had only been there for a month before Laura was letting me camp on the DZ. The people there want to like everyone. They'll give you shit, but only in fun.
It is a small skydiving center, and the landing area is as small as you'd expect. Respect the advice of the locals when you decide whether to go up.